By way of background concerning some conventional systems, it can be desirable to mark the ground surface to indicate, for example, the presence of underground utilities, the location of lot boundaries, and the like. This marking is often accomplished by the insertion of markers into the ground that extend upward from the ground surface and may include a flag at the top end. In other cases, the markers may comprise a plurality of nylon (or similar) strands with a nail in the center (e.g., whisker markers), so that when the nail is inserted, the marker remains at the surface of the ground. Numerous markers may be placed at spaced locations along the path of the buried utility line, and this may be true of each buried utility service (such as electric, gas, telephone, water, sewer).
Whisker markers (e.g., grading stakes) are one type of marker device commonly used in a variety of building and construction industries. Grading stakes are typically used to indicate the level to which the surrounding terrain must be graded. The stakes are customarily driven to a specified level relative to the existing surface and frequently include a brightly painted top to indicate the existence of the stake top and the level to which the surface ground is to be cut or filled. Other typical uses in the construction industries include topographic surveys of the site to be used in the preparation of plans for a structure and locating in the soil a system of stakes or other markers both in plan and in elevation from which the construction crew can take measurements of earthwork and other measurements for the proper construction of structures. Additionally, temporary stakes or other markers are usually set at the corners of proposed structures, as an approximate guide for beginning the excavation.
Generally, whisker markers (e.g., markers) are inserted into the ground surface by hand. For example, one method of inserting a single whisker marker to indicate the presence of buried electric cable involves the steps of: configuring detection equipment to detect the buried cable; detecting the buried cable with a detector; storing the detector (e.g., in a holster, on the ground surface); selecting a can of spray paint containing a paint colored to correspond to the type of utility being marked (e.g., buried electric cable); spraying paint from the selected can onto the ground surface above the buried cable's location; storing the can of spray paint; selecting a marker with characteristics that correspond to the type of utility (e.g., a marker with a visual indicator printed or colored to indicate buried electric cable); and inserting the flag into the ground surface proximate to the paint and above the buried cable's location. These methods are repeated until a desired amount (e.g., length) of the buried cable has been marked.
However, the installation of the markers carries with it a variety of deficiencies. One such deficiency conventionally associated with the installation of markers to demarcate the location of a buried object is that the process can be laborious, due to the numbers of markers that need to be placed as well as the manner in which the markers are inserted. The markers may be inserted by hand into the ground with no mechanical assistance, but this requires repeatedly bending down to engage and insert the marker into the ground surface. An alternative method, with whisker markers, may require the use of a hammer to drive the nail of the whisker marker into the ground. This repeated bending over and hammering can be physically taxing on the person performing the marking operation.
A number of devices have been proposed to facilitate the placement of markers. Another deficiency commonly associated with the installation of markers is that while these devices may work in some instances, some appear to actually make the insertion action more difficult by increasing the cross sectional profile of the portion of the marker that is being inserted into the ground (and thereby causing more resistance due to the larger profile), and/or requiring that a portion of apparatus be inserted in the ground as well. This approach can make it difficult if not impossible to insert markers into ground that is highly compacted, stony, or is even slightly frozen, to name a few of the factors making the insertion more difficult.
An even further deficiency commonly associated with the installation of marks is that some of the devices in the prior art must be loaded with a marker each time that a marker is to be installed, which requires continual reloading of the device. Also, some devices require a relatively strong and rigid marker in order to push the marker into the ground, and this may require markers with thicker cross sectional sizes in order to provide the necessary rigidity.
The above-described deficiencies of today's markers and marker systems are merely intended to provide an overview of some of the problems of conventional systems, and are not intended to be exhaustive. Other problems with the state of the art and corresponding benefits of some of the various non-limiting embodiments may become further apparent upon review of the following detailed description.